Mike Miller is a 37-year-old Padres fan with tattoos of eyes on the back of his head. But Tuesday wasn’t about the Cardiff resident seeing what was behind him – it was about seeing what was coming.

In the top of the fourth inning, Miller – who was wandering about Petco Park by himself – slipped down to the Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Deck in right field, a new section on top of the fence that has been moved in by an average of 10 feet. Disregarding the fact that you need a ticket to be there, Miller helped himself to a seat and, three minutes later, watched Dodgers third baseman Juan Uribe rip a home-run ball that bounced off a fan… and rolled right into his hands.

Priceless moment, right?

“Actually,” said Miller, who watched the Padres win 9-3, “I sold it for $100.”

Yep, standing next to Miller was fellow fan Brook Geraghty, who had high hopes of catching the first jack into the Jack Daniel’s Deck. Unfortunately, the Mission Beach resident found himself standing about five feet behind where the ball landed.

Still, given the new dimensions of the stadium, Geraghty felt that the homer had some historical significance, so he cheerfully shelled over five $20 bills for the ball. After all, he was hardly the first guy in Petco to watch a deep shot to right fall short of where he wanted.

For the first nine years of the ballpark’s existence, Uribe’s blast would have been an out. Before Tuesday’s home opener, that right-field wall was a pitcher’s bff.

Former Padre slugger Phil Nevin once drove a 350-foot double to right, and when he reached second base, threw down his helmet and pointed to General Manager Kevin Towers as if to say, “that ball is gone anywhere else.”

Well, this year that ball is gone in Petco, too. And as the Padres found out Tuesday… that’s not always a good thing.

Of the game’s three home runs – two by San Diego and one by Los Angeles – Uribe’s was the only one to take advantage of the new setup. But Padres fans didn’t seem to mind. At least not the ones on the deck.

It was tough to find people in that section Tuesday not holding a drink. Right field may have once been where home runs went to die, but it seems to be where livers go now.

Even so, the ambience out there was much more buoyant than it was belligerent. And for a younger San Diegan looking for a new baseball experience, the Jack Daniel’s Deck isn’t easy to top.

Longtime Pads fan Colby Durnin said Tuesday was the greatest in-game experience of his life – and that included watching Games 2 and 3 of the 1998 World Series. His friend Jesse Brewer added that it was “amazing,” referencing the sun, the breeze, and the unrivaled view of the field. .

Tim Brand, meanwhile, simply said “weird,” and while normally you’d think he was reacting to the Padres actually leading, in this case, it was clear he was bowled over by the setting.

That said... this setting can be a little pricey. Bonner Paddock, the senior vice president of marketing for Young’s Market Company – a Jack Daniel’s distributor – said that a seat will go for about $50 this season. He added, however, that he’d like for fans throughout the ballpark to have the opportunity to momentarily step on the deck with hopes of catching a home run.

Tuesday, Miller was way ahead of him on that.

The longtime Padres devotee said that he wouldn’t have sold the ball if the home team had hit it out. He also said that he was going to spend the $100 on shoes.

Then a text from his fiancée came in.

“You know what? Never mind,” said Miller. “I’m going to spend it on my wedding.”